5-27-06 (Saturday): Today I pulled weeds all day! John and Lori weren’t pushing for us to start work before our originally agreed to date of 6/5, but we felt bad taking up a site for almost two weeks without giving something back. Finally, John said he could use some help with the lobster boil this afternoon and Lori said that if I liked to garden, she’d love to have some gardens weeded.

I weeded all the way around the store/office and the rental house. It was a gorgeous day, and I actually enjoyed it. I think I’m going to feel it tomorrow, though—it was a lot of bending, kneeling, stooping and getting up and down. The gardens are quite lovely. The lilacs, tulips and some other flowers I didn’t recognize are in full bloom now. Lori warmed up a little (not that she was frosty before or anything, but she hadn’t engaged me in much conversation). I think she must be a gardener herself. She told me that the barn where the store and office are now was originally a barn and stable. The little house near the entrance that they rent out by the month was a tenant farmers home. They’re both over 100 years old. As I was weeding, I realized that the foundation stones and the edges around the gardens and the steps are all solid granite.

It was fun talking to all the guests who were in and out of the office all day. I even met someone who used to work for Minute Maid! Her name was Marilyn and she worked in Orlando in the 60’s for Dr. Brant (sp?). We didn’t know anyone in common. She didn’t even know Allen Clark. So I guess she was well before my time.

I quit gardening around 2 PM (that was my full 6-hour day) and sat on the patio for a while and read. A chipmunk ran right under my legs! I brought Monkey out for a while (I’ve been doing this every day), but she just wants to eat grass and then puke it up on the carpet in the camper. The other day, she’d puked on the carpet beside the bed (my side, of course!), and I didn’t know it. I stepped in it barefoot on my way to bed that night—very cold and squishy. Yuck. I’ve tried giving her catnip and cod liver oil, but she still goes for the grass whenever she can get it.

Around 5 PM, I went down to the bluff to see if I could help with the lobster boil (Wiley had been there for a while already). I was put in charge of the hot dogs for the kids. They’ve got quite a system set up. Unfortunately, this week was the other workamper couple’s turn to get the free dinner (and they’d been working for 3 weeks before we came, so we didn’t mind). So we came back and I fixed beef tips and noodles.

Tomorrow I get to work in the office. They’re so short handed that I think they’re appreciative that we’re willing to pitch in. They keep reiterating that we don’t have to.